Monday, February 8, 2010

Historic Hotels Author Helps Olle Hotel Obtain Historical Marker

Attention fans of the Olle Hotel in Flatonia (Historic Hotels of Texas: A Traveler's Guide author Liz Carmack is a BIG one.) The owners will be unveiling the hotel's recently acquired Texas historical marker at 4 p.m., Sat., Feb. 13. Food, drink, and tons of small-town charm.

The Olle, one of 64 historic hotels featured in Carmack's book, is the last railroad hotel still in operation in the tiny, Fayette County community. Around the turn of the 20th century, Flatonia was a bustling town with two railway lines and multiple hotels and boarding houses.

Carmack researched the Olle’s origins and wrote a historical marker application for the hotel’s owners. The Texas Historical Commission awarded the hotel a marker in 2009. The Olle Hotel building dates to shortly before 1900. It began operating as a hotel as early as 1915. Today it offers guests 10 rooms with custom bedding, free wireless Internet, and a continental breakfast.

Here are some additional facts on the Olle from Carmack's book:

"All ten airy guest rooms have private baths. Five rooms are on the first floor, off the main hallway, where (Kathryn) Geesaman spreads a complimentary breakfast buffet.Guests eat in the adjacent small dining room on a half-dozen tables dressed with bouquets of fresh flowers on white linen. . . Geesaman is an affable hostess and enjoys sharing tips about where to eat and what to see and do in the area."

Check out Historic Hotels of Texas for more info.